By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

TO mark its five years of existence, the nonprofit group Light in the Eve Foundation has chosen the NMI Diabetes Coalition as the beneficiary of the proceeds it raises this year.
Teresa Kim, the foundation’s president, yesterday said the coalition was chosen from among five organizations that submitted bids, which included Make A Wish Foundation, the Center for Living Independently, the Northern Marianas Youth Basketball Association and the Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems, Inc.
“We took a vote and decided to select the coalition as the beneficiary this year because they have a huge campaign and we feel that they are very deserving — the CNMI probably has the third highest per capital rate of people affected by the disease,” Kim said during yesterday’s press briefing at the Hyatt Regency.
Kim said this year’s celebration will be special for the foundation which will hold two major events — the annual Pineapple Ball and the Build a Castle Save a Reef competition.
Slated for April 14, from 6 to 10 p.m., at the Hyatt’s Giovanni’s Restaurant, the Pineapple Ball will feature of live auction and live entertainment from Sound Advice.
Tickets are $100 for couples and $60 for singles.
“We’re very happy to raise money for the Diabetes Coalition and as in the past, we’re hoping we can raise more this year,” Kim said.
Since it creation in 2002, the foundation has raised over $30,000 for its beneficiaries the first of which was the Marianas March Against Cancer.
For the 4th Build a Castle Save a Reef competition, which will held at the Hyatt beach side, 16 junior and high school teams from Saipan, Rota and Tinian will compete.
The event is scheduled for April 21.
According to Laila Y. Boyer, the foundation’s vice president, this year has the highest turnout of participants for the competition which will be coordinated with the Division of Environmental Quality.
“Every year the money we raise in this contest goes to coral reef cleanup and this year is special because Light in the Eve is pairing with DEQ as they prepare to launch the Year of the Coral Reef next year,” Boyer said.
DEQ will use the event as one of its major activities for the awareness campaign.
Boyer said Light in the Eve thanks the other groups who submitted their bids and “looks forward to assisting them in the years head.”
Light in the Eve is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for charity groups in the CNMI.